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On Sunday, December 7, 2025, The Boulder Chevra Kaddisha is pleased to sponsor “Psalms for Shmira – Resung/Recited in a Musar Mode,” a free interactive workshop with Rabbi Jamie Arnold – open to anyone interested in exploring the Psalms in a new way.
For generations, Jews have turned to the Book of Psalms for comfort, grounding, and spiritual connection. One of the most tender places these ancient poems appear is in the practice of shmira (the sacred tradition of guarding or watching over the deceased. But for many today, the beauty and emotional power of the Psalms can feel out of reach—buried beneath archaic language, difficult imagery, or translations that no longer speak to our hearts.
This workshop invites participants of all backgrounds to explore the Psalms in a new way. Part text study, part poetry creation, and part spiritual practice, the session will guide us in developing accessible, contemporary English renderings of the Psalms—translations that resonate with our modern voices and values while honoring the depth of the original text.
Together, we’ll breathe new and meaningful life into these ancient songs, discovering how they can support not only the sacred vigil of shmira, but also our own moments of reflection, grief, gratitude, and transition.
Whether you’re familiar with shmira or simply curious about the transformative power of sacred poetry, you are warmly invited to join us in creating new pathways into these timeless texts, and in strengthening a practice that offers compassion, presence, and peace.
Details:
When: Sunday, December 7, 2025
Time: 10am – Noon
Location: Crist Mortuary, 3395 Penrose Place / Boulder, CO
We’ll begin the morning with a light brunch of bagels, pastries, and other refreshments.
For more information and to RSVP, go to: https://www.boulderchevrakadisha.org/events/event-one-j325n
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Rabbi Jamie Arnold came to Colorado in 2005 to serve as the first fulltime rabbi of Congregation Beth Evergreen (CBE). Drawing on his experience with this holy work in Philadelphia, PA and Buffalo, NY, and with the support of the Boulder Chevra, Jamie founded the CBE Hevra Kaddisha. Partnering with JADE and Kavod v’Nichum, he has also been leading an effort to expand awareness of and access to this holy work across the front range. Rabbi Arnold is also a longtime student and teacher of musar, an award winning educator, and a core faculty member of the Kabbalah Experience since 2011. Mystics and humanists alike have been drawn to his creative and inspiring psalm translations, which you can preview at https://substack.com/@rabbijamiearnold.
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The Boulder Chevra Kadisha serves the end-of-life needs for the Boulder County Jewish community, for members of congregations and the unaffiliated. Founded in 1996 as a community-wide volunteer organization, we uphold the traditions of honoring the dead and comforting the mourner — our dedicated volunteers perform the traditional Jewish rituals of shmira (watching over the deceased) and tahara (ritual washing and preparation). This service of accompanying and caring for our deceased is one of chesed shel emet (ultimate kindness). To learn more about the Boulder Chevra Kadisha and Jewish end-of-life traditions, go to www.BoulderChevraKadisha.org.
